Limit Of Switzerland (Peseux 7046)

“Limit Of Switzerland” is a British brand established in Oldham in 1912 selling swiss made watch movements from the Waldenburg factory, cased up in british made “Dennison” cases, so they’ve been around for a while, later changing their name to “Limit International” when they started sourcing their watches from the far east.

This late ’60’s or early ’70’s example needs some love. The hour and minute hands don’t move even when the watch is ticking (although the seconds hand does), the date doesn’t quite line up in its window, and there is some faint staining to the dial.

Inside is a Peseux Cal.7046 17 jewel movement which is running but not brilliantly.

Peseux is a swiss ebauche maker dating back to the early 1920’s and later incorporated into ETA in 1985. They have been responsible for some very nice movements over the years.

This one has seen some servicing over the years, albeit a little clumsy at some time. There is a case screw missing and the set lever screw hole shows the signs of too large a screw driver cutting into the bridge. There is also the issue of the non-moving hands. Coupled with little to no resistance felt at the crown when setting the hands and you have the classic symptoms of a loose cannon pinion. Not a difficult adjustment to make but it needs to be done with care.

With the movement out of the case the balance wheel and cock are removed to a safe place.

Flipping the movement over and dial side has more evidence of less than careful work, with chewed screw head slots and scratching to the calendar work cover plate.

There doesn’t seem to be anything obviously amiss with the calendar works so I suspect that the misalignment is probably just due to dirt, we will have to see how it performs after a proper clean.

All stripped out and a reference shot of the wheel train. The movement is generally grubby with little evidence of lubrication, but otherwise not too bad. This is another movement with a “closet lefty” for the crown wheel screw.

Balance reinstalled minus jewels ready for the cleaner. This incarnation of the Incabloc lyre springs for the shock protection can be tricky. I don’t know if they were intended to be but they don’t seem to be quite so captive in their mounting block as later versions which means that they can come out when you remove the jewels, and can be very fiddly to put back. No problems here though.

Everything out of the cleaner and the rebuild can begin. No the date wheel didn’t go in the cleaning machine, it’s just in this pic for completeness.

First off the balance jewels are reinstalled and lubricated, and whilst everything else is out of the way the hair spring geometry is checked.

With the balance back out of the way the wheel train can go in.

Followed by the main spring barrel which I have already pre-assembled. There is a slightly unusual set up for the click as it is installed under the barrel bridge even though the click spring sits on top of the bridge. Also don’t forget to put the set lever screw in place before reinstalling the bridge.

Barrel bridge back in place with crown wheel and ratchet wheel. Once the train wheel pivots have been lubricated and checked for freedom the pallet and pallet cock go back in.

And with the escapement lubricated the balance wheel returns and starts to tick.

Now we have to address the loose cannon pinion issue. This is my preferred set up for this task. I have tried using my jewelling press which can offer greater control but the tips are just not fine enough for most wrist watch cannon pinions. The same goes for the stakes/stumps in my staking set. With a little modification though this little tool is just right.

A little modification to the punch and the anvil and it can accommodate just about any cannon pinion, and get as close to the leaves as needed. A broach inserted into the cannon pinion provides a means to hold it in place and prevents closing the pinion too far, and a gentle tap on the punch is usually all that is required. A trial fit to the centre wheel staff and if it’s still not tight enough then it gets another little tap. As with most watch adjustments this has to be done incrementally with lots of test fitting. Try doing it in just one hit and the chances are you will go too far and need a new pinion.

Dial side, and the keyless works and motion works go back in.

Set lever bridge and calendar works in place.

Then the date wheel, jumper and its spring, and the retaining plate.

With the dial and hands back in place the date alignment in its window is now spot on so I’m happy that the problem was simply too much crud in the system. I cleaned the back of the date wheel with naphtha on a Q-tip, and just dry wiped the printed side. Never be tempted to clean the printed side with any solvent, you will lose the print. The dial and hands also get a very gentle dry clean using a soft brush and Q-tips. The staining to the dial has been reduced considerably but not totally eradicated, and unfortunately the lack of care in the past has left some scratches on the dial, but it is still a considerable improvement.

Back in its case and secured now with its full complement of case screws after a replacement was sourced for the missing one. The case has been through the ultrasonic and is now a lot cleaner.

And with a new crystal installed into the bezel things look considerably improved from where they started. The hands now move as they should, there is a much healthier feel at the crown when setting the hands, and the date lines up nicely.

Following the usual settling down / test driving period and regulation this one is ready to go.